“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:11 NKJV)
“Higher than the highest heavens – that’s how high your tender mercy extends! Greater than the grandeur of heaven above is the greatness of your loyal love, towering over all who fear you and bow down before you!” (Psalm 103:11 TPT)
“For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.” (Psalm 103:11 NLT)
“For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence].” (Psalm 103:11 AMP)
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:11 HCSB)
“Because as Heaven is higher than the earth, so has the grace of LORD JEHOVAH prevailed upon his worshipers.” (Psalm 103:11 ABIPE)
As I move into verse 11 of Psalm 103, I am amazed at how far ahead of his time David was. In an age characterized by a bloody sacrificial system that was bathed in fear, and carried out in an attempt to appease an angry God of judgement and death, David was enlightened to see a God of love, mercy, and grace. He moved the nation of Israel into a form of worship that they had never before experienced. While he did not abolish the Old Covenant sacrificial system, he focused on corporate worship filled with songs of praise and adoration for a loving Heavenly Father. David, based on his revelation knowledge of the true identity of His Heavenly Father, radically changed how God was perceived and related to. David’s writing foreshadowed the writings of the Apostle Paul in relation to the grace of God.
Paul was severely criticized for his “hyper-grace” teachings (he still is today). He was continually put in a position in which he was forced to defend what had been revealed to him. Like David, Paul lived in the midst of a sacrificial system that emphasized sin and death. He was trained to take a lead role in perpetuating this system that had become based on a highly flawed understanding of the nature and character of God. Paul focused much of what he wrote on trying to get those he was leading to break out from under the oppression of their current religion and into the freedom of grace.
As I am meditating on Psalm 103:11 I am being taken into new depths of the revelation of love, mercy, and grace. I have all of these blessings residing within me in unlimited measure. As I worship my Daddy in spirit and in truth they begin to bubble up and flow out of me. As they begin to flow from my spirit they renew (save) my mind (soul) and quicken (enliven/rejuvenate) my body.
The nation of Israel thought that they had to fulfill an elaborate religious system in order to be considered righteous. They were convinced that the only way that they could hope to experience any degree of blessing was to strictly adhere to their many laws and perfectly obey all of the demands of their religion. David, through direct revelation from his Heavenly Father, saw beyond this and realized that it was all about simply worshipping a God of love, mercy, and grace. Sadly, the vast majority of “believers,” living in the “New Covenant,” are falling into the same trap as the Israelites.
I do not need to obey to be blessed (religious red lights and sirens are going off). I do not need to live righteously to be considered righteous (now the religious national guard is being summoned). There is nothing required of me to enter into the fullness of my Daddy’s love, mercy, and grace. His grace is higher, deeper, wider, and greater, than I will ever be able to fathom. Everything that He has for me is already dwelling within me (Jesus called it the Kingdom).
I am asking Daddy to continue to reveal His truth to me as I ponder…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 238: Kingdom Living (Psalm 103) Part 12 – Verse 11